Los Angeles County chooses WeLink to serve FWA to 275,000 locations

In 2021, Los Angeles County leaders decided they wanted to close the digital divide in some underserved areas. So, the county issued a request for proposal, soliciting bids from broadband providers. Surprisingly, WeLink, a relatively unknown fixed wireless access (FWA) provider, won the contract, beating out incumbents such as AT&T and Charter Communications. On May 7, LA County issued a press release, saying it had signed a historic public-private partnership with WeLink to bring high-speed internet to areas impacted by the digital divide. WeLink will bring FWA to as many as 275,000 households and businesses across 68 square miles in East Los Angeles/Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. WeLink CEO Luke Langford said the process in LA County was a bit unusual for WeLink because it’s a public-private partnerships where the county will be contributing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the project and also some monies from a California Public Utilities Commission program. He declined to say how much LA is contributing, but estimates the project will cost “many tens of millions of dollars.”